SCENE001: "THE CROWNING OF A KING"FEBRUARY 10TH 2014BOSTON, MASSCAMERA [REC]

I adjusted the IWF High Impact Championship on my shoulder before unstrapping the IWF Heavyweight title from my waist and placing it on my other shoulder, now holding both titles in plain view for everybody to see.

The fans yelled out their negative comments as the cameras flashed towards me. Everybody knew these two titles were just replicas. However, they weren’t just “toys” they had meaning to them, more meaning than the real ones.

Two Champions, knocked out cold. I held these titles because the two champions I knocked out, didn’t deserve theirs. I was in control, I was in the driver’s seat. I’d be damned if anybody was going to be coming into this tournament with more momentum than I would.

*click* *click* *flash*

This was the type of shit that everybody dreamed about when it came to being famous.

The lights, the cameras and the attention.

Most people would say that I didn’t deserve any of it. The people standing before me definitely gave me that impression. As I stood up in front of an approximate ten thousand crowd in attendance for this promotional event leading up to PWP 5, everybody made sure I knew what they thought of me, showering me with boos and flipping me their birds.

None of it fazed me, I looked into every one of these people’s eyes and I already knew what the issue was. It was jealousy, envy, pure despise. These people wanted to be me, live that James Shark lifestyle, live in these lavish houses, travel all around the world, wear pretty shit, drive fly cars, fuck housewives, communicate with the type of people I rolled with.

Jealous fans were going to be in every company I wrestled in and PWP was no different.

The only difference I could find was the notable change in attendance. It was mind blowing to be standing here in front of all these people when just a few months back, I was standing in front of a small crowd getting ready to promote my match against Audrey James. PWP had definitely made some noise and caught some attention since then, not only from the wrestling fans but from other wrestlers as well.

All these new faces that signed up with the PWP for this tournament didn’t come alone, they brought along each and every one of their bandwagon riding, cock sucking, ass kissing, fans with them. As I peered out into the anti-James Shark crowd, they continued to try and enter my mind. They were so ignorant, so uneducated when it came to me. Of course they all read my tweets, watched my promos and tuned into my matches but they all seemed to forget that all this booing, “you suck” chants and middle fingers weren’t doing anything for them.

I’m the king of mind games.

I’m the one that can insult my opponents with one word and keep them up at night thinking about what I just said. I could even keep my mouth shut and just stare at my opponents a type of way and get them thinking all sorts of crazy thoughts in their head. “Why is he so quiet!? Why isn’t he trash talking me!?”

Nobody was going to get inside my head, not them or these shark bait wrestlers.

These people not only boo’d me because they were jealous of me but they boo’d me because frankly, they just didn’t like me. My personality turned them off and the way I’ve humiliated most of their favorite wrestlers had caused them to rip their posters off of their wall.

I firmly gripped on the microphone and brought it up to my lips but as they saw that, they only got louder, trying to prevent me from talking. Nodding my head at all of them I quickly slammed the top of the microphone right up against the podium, causing a loud intolerable echo that blasted the room.

The boos quickly came rolling in again but it was just music to my ears. It was something that I’ve been hearing for six straight years, I grew so used to the noise that I’d probably get upset if I was being cheered. These boos were stuck in my head day and night, they could be my theme song.

As I watched all of them act like a bunch of wild animals, growling, making faces, and waving their arms in the air, I just couldn’t help but think what their reaction would be like if they were reminded what I went through to get here.

This was another example of how uneducated they were when it came to me.

I was never supposed to be this good.

I wasn’t supposed to grow into a superstar and future legend with multiple world titles. I wasn’t supposed to be that guy that defeated their heroes and retired the greats. People weren’t supposed to know my name. None of this was supposed to be me. I rewrote my fucking destiny and told the man upstairs that he could go fuck himself with what he had planned for my future.

While I was never supposed to be this good….I also never even expected to live past 17.

Growing up in the mean streets of Brooklyn, New York, all my childhood friends were dead, most of them shot. They lived the life that I lived as a child. At such a young age we really didn’t have any childhood, we were all forced to act as adults and make the right decisions in life-threatening situations.

Maybe that’s why I acted so immature these days. Now at the age of 25 I found myself having my childhood, playing with all my fancy cars, running around my huge ass mansion and annoying the fuck out of each and every one of my co-workers.

I fucking made it. I made it out of the hard times and now here I was, in front of all these haters, standing before them as a celebrity with more money in my pocket then all of them combined.

That could explain why I didn’t care about what they thought of me, I was above them and they didn’t bring me here. While other people said stuff like “I wouldn’t be here without my fans” I said “fuck the fans” Why? Because I brought MYSELF here and I FOUGHT to get here, their booing meant shit to me. I showed them that it meant nothing by bobbing my head to the sound of their boos, treating it as some kind of beat. After a few seconds of taunting them, I raised the microphone back up, towards my lips.

SHARK: PWP 5… The Gold Rush, now you know.. if you ask me I’d say that the fucktard who named this card slipped. If anything this should be called“The Crowing of a King”.On Saturday February 22nd this company will crown the best of the best, it’s champion, it’s king, and you know what? That person is right here on this microphone. Yall already know the name man, James Shark, I’m the PWP pound for pound king without the crown, the PWP world champion without the title, the fan favorite without the fans, the best wrestler in the world today without the god damn wrestling!

SHARK: To put it all in a simple kind of way… I’m just everything that stands in the way of these fifteen desperate hungry ass competitors on the 22nd. I’m their road block, I’m their obstacle, I’m their problem. When it comes down to the final match, I’m going to be there, and to get their hands onMYtitle, they’re going to have to get past me but they won’t, they can’t. I’m like the boss on the last level of one of them extremely hard games. You only have one chance without no hints, clues or cheat codes. Ain’t nobody getting past that! Nobody.

Just as I said that, the noise began to shift from boos and chants over to name calling. It seemed as though these fans were now trying to tell me who they had their money on. One of the names I heard was Brett Sands. Of course I had heard his name before and it was obvious we had some EXODUS people in the building. A cocky smirk ran across my lips as I slowly shook my head at the people chanting his name.

SHARK: Brett? Brett yall say? Sit the fuck down and save dude the embarrassment. Why build him up? Why hype him up? Why put more pressure on his back? Yall are just setting him up for failure.

Now more people joined in, Brett’s name getting louder. This was probably the most cheers he had ever gotten and from what I heard the guy played the ‘bad guy role’.

SHARK:“Brett Sands, Brett Sands, Brett Sands”ah shut the fuck up, yall sounding like a buncha faggots fucking him from behind and screaming his name out in pleasure. It won’t be Brett, the bitch made jock that heard‘TITLE SHOT’all the way from EXODUS. Dude ain’t ever give a damn about PWP before but as soon as he heard‘World Title’he came running as fast as he could. He can’t get anywhere near the EXODUS world championship, so he has to come all the way here for the first time to try his luck on PWP gold. Not happening.

I shrugged my shoulders and grinned at all of them, after a few seconds, they restarted, yelling out a bunch of names until one stuck. Now it was Flex Johnson being chanted, I could’ve burst out laughing at this point.

SHARK: Nah… not him either. You forgetful pieces of shit, I already beat him, knocked his ass out, moved on to the next one. I whooped him after lighting a fire under his ass, dominated him after I gave him the motivation and desire to shut my big mouth up… but nah, now what? He’s supposed to defeat me right? That’s what you people are implying? That he’s just going to defeat meAFTERgoing through three other men!? He couldn’t beat me after going through zero but now he beats me after going through three? Fuck outta here yo… yall are out your damn mind and just spitting names out of your ass. Flex’s old saggy grandfather ass ain’t even going to make it out of the first round.

Suddenly I shook my head and paused. These people probably got the idea that I was reading off something because as soon as I started naming people, I kept my head low. I slowly raised my head back up to the audience before flashing the piece of paper that I was reading off of to everyone. The piece of paper had everybody’s names on it, I crumpled it up and threw it behind me, deciding to not even continue naming them all.

SHARK: I don’t even know half these fucking people’s names yo, I ain’t going to be reading them off and giving them hype. What’s the point anyways? It won’t beANYof them. It’s going to beME, James Shark, fresh, fly, young, flashy, rich, sexy, talented, god-gifted-

I started to point out into the large booing attendance.

SHARK: better than you, and you, and you, and you, annnnnnnnnnd you. I call myself the best because I’m just better than the rest!

I shrugged my shoulders all cocky as the booing got louder. It was crazy because I thought it couldn’t get any louder. The way I was able to get a reaction out of these fans made me know that I was the true villain of this sport. Other people could play the bad guy role but that’s all it was… playing a role. I was the real thing.

SHARK: Yall can boo all you want but I’d save those boos for the 22nd cause if you bitches be mad at what I’m saying, what till I follow through on my words.

I took another pause, letting the boos sink in again as I laughed at all of them. I remained quiet for at least a minute and was surprised to see that these people weren’t losing their voices.

SHARK:“The Gold Rush”I still can’t get that fucking name out of my head bruh. Seriously, why“Gold Rush”? Because a bunch of lame asses from all around the world and different companies came rushing outta nowhere to get to the gold with their desperate asses? Just like Brett Sands, ain’t nobody give a fuck about the PWP until Joshua Duncz yelled out:WORLD CHAM…..champi…..cha..

I couldn’t finish my sentence. Was I seeing correctly? With my sleeping patterns being fucked up these past few weeks, I was starting to question my eyes. They had to be playing tricks on me because there was no way….

No, I was wrong, it was real. He was here.

I jumped right off of the stage and into the arms of the security guards, they all held me back as the fans began to cheer. They were confused, surely they thought I was about to attack one of them and they got excited.

Managing to break out of the security’s grasps, I ran to the center of the floor, the fans scattered around me as I looked for him, where the fuck was he? He was standing right here just a moment ago. Despite how loud this place was, I could hear my heart beating. My fists clenched up in anger as my body began to build up heat.

Just as I turned around to look another direction, I could see an IPhone right in my face, it was one of the fans that was recording me. Without even thinking, I snatched his phone and threw it onto the floor as hard as I could.

This fan boy clearly had to not be thinking either because he came rushing at me, him and his buddies. I shoved him back into his friends but before they could do anything the security got in between all of them.

The whole environment was just nuts right now, shouting and shoving. More guards came towards me as they began to escort me out of the building, I didn’t even care. All I could think about was him, his face, the way he looked at me. I had an image of him burned into my brain, all I could see was him standing in the center, crowded with all of the fans, looking up at me on stage from the floor.

SECURITY: What the hell got into you man!? What happened? You just jumped off the stage and-

SHARK: Shut the fuck up, you a reporter or a rent-a-guard? That’s what I thought.

As they escorted me out into the fresh air, I quickly escaped the other fans by sliding into my limousine. I laid back into the chair and took a deep breathe, shaking my head as I began to think things through.

SHARK: The fuck is wrong with you Shark? The fuck… is wrong with you.

I began to think that maybe I was JUST seeing things. I probably just got caught in the moment, I was on that stage with a bunch of adrenaline and maybe I thought I saw….but why him? If I’m going to be seeing things why him? There were a lot of other people I could’ve imagined in that crowd. If it was going to be somebody I hated then why not imagine seeing Brooklyn?

If my mind was going to play tricks on me at all why not imagine seeing my twins, my sister, someone that I wanted to see, someone that I missed, someone that I had unfinished business with, it could’ve been anybody, why the hell was it him?

It was then that I just decided to lay back, closing my eyes as I ran my hand down my face.

SHARK: Fuck Mondays…

SCENE002: “I WANT THIS”FEBRUARY 12TH 2014KELOWNA, BCCAMERA [STANDBY]

“Fuck, James….you’re amazing”

I could hear the pleasure In her voice along with her hidden Russian accent as I smiled. As we both laid back on the bed for a few seconds, I rolled over towards the lamp and flicked the light on, immediately shielding my eyes from the strength of the light as I could hear Kadri groan out in annoyance. It took my eyes a several seconds to adjust to the sudden brightness and as I turned around, I could see that she had covered herself under the blankets.

SHARK: The hell you hiding from yo?

KADRI: The light monster!

She giggled from under the covers as I shook my head and chuckled, she was such a cutie sometimes.

It had been about four weeks now since me and Brooklyn had broken up. When I was in a relationship with Brooklyn, I always thought about that one big possible argument that we could have which would lead to a separation. It was crazy how it actually turned out that way.

Me and her had such strong personalities that we always found ourselves budding heads, however we had that love that always kept us together. When I was with her I thought that when we broke things off, it would be the end of the world for me. However, it only felt like the end of the world for about a few hours, once Kadri came back into my life, I only found myself to be getting over Brooklyn sooner rather than later, up until this point where I was completely, 110% over her.

Due to that, a lot of people threw hate towards what me and Kadri had right now. Even though I was still single and we weren’t official, people kicked dirt on what we were building up to, they could all see that me and her were getting back to being a couple again. Even though we weren’t official it felt like we were. We had a relationship back in 2012 which was drama-free. It ended because of me. I fucked it all up and here she was, out of all people when I needed somebody the most.

Ever since Kadri came back into my life, I got back into my winning ways. I was on a three match losing streak with all the bullshit I was getting from Brooklyn’s lying attention-seeking ass. Since spending all this time again with Kadri, I had won two straight matches, one against at the time IWF Heavyweight Champion Nathan Propaganda and the other against at the time IWF High Impact Champion Tiffani Michaels.

The scented candles filled up the room as I sat up onto the bed, finding the remote on the night table as I turned on the big screen TV, searching for something to occupy my mind. As soon as Kadri heard the TV, she appeared out from under the covers, her naked body revealing itself to me with her hair all messed up. We had just finished another night of fucking each other’s brains out and usually that meant catching some sleep right afterwards.

KADRI: And what exactly are you doing Mister?

SHARK: Tryin’ to find my nigga Springer, catch some form of entertainment.

I scrolled through the TV Guide as she shook her head and leaned over to the other lamp, turning the lights back off.

To be honest, I was fucking exhausted. Spending each of my full days training for a huge tournament then getting worked by this Estonian goddess would do that to you. Not only that, but ever since what happened on Monday… that image of him stayed burning in my mind.

SHARK: I ain’t gon be able to sleep, yo ass lookin to cuddle? Come on in, just dont be droolin’ on my damn nipple again.

I raised my arm so that she could lean into me, but instead she just rolled her eyes and smiled before sighing.

KADRI: Your father again huh?

At first, I thought I was just imagining him being there in that promotional event. However, after all those “JAMES SHARK ATTACKS FAN” articles came out of me, it also included witnesses spotting my father.

It was real, he was really there. I told her about how I saw him on Monday, I couldn’t get that sick fuck out of my head. I wanted to play it off like he wasn’t bothering me and that losing sleep at night didn’t involve him but she saw right through me. She propped herself up, looked straight into my eyes with that look to tell me we were about to have a heart to heart.

KADRI: James, you need to open up about all the problems you’ve had with him. You should very well know me by now. I am a great listener and everything that is said here in this bed, stays here. It won’t leave this room and will be locked away into my vault.

Kadri then smiled and tapped her finger on her head, telling me that she’d keep it a secret. It kind of made me laugh a little bit. Which was an accomplishment considering the mood I was in with him being brought up.

She saw the smile and it must’ve encouraged her to keep going.

KADRI: I tell you what, let’s make a deal. If you tell me about all of your problems with your father...I will tell you the whole story about my father and our problems. How does that sound?

After the deal she offered up, my smile kind of vanished as I just sighed, slouching my back up against the bed frame. I was glad to have her back into my life because I needed real people in my circle and ever since I met her back in 2012, that’s exactly what she was.

This breakup I had a few weeks ago really showed me who my true friends were. It really separated the real from the fake and while the people that had every reason to reach out to me didn’t… the one person who had every reason to hate me did. I knew I could confide in her, I knew that I could look at her as my best friend and tell her whatever was on my mind but it was just a fucked up thing to talk about.

I didn’t really open myself up about the situations I had with my father to any of my girlfriends or closest friends, I didn’t do it because doing that would mean going back into the past, going back to the past would mean thinking back to all the unspeakable bullshit that I had to see, live and endure.

Yes, it made me the person I was today but it was something I didn’t enjoy looking back on and that’s why my father popping up from time to time bothered me so fucking much. It was like I couldn’t escape the bad times, like I couldn’t just finally move on.

KADRI: Um Hellooo…?

Kadri suddenly knocked on my head as if nobody was home, I snapped out of my thoughts and looked over at her as the smile on her face had only grown larger.

SHARK: Shit… my bad yo.. what did you say again.. the deal thing?

As I remembered I shook my head at her, crossing my arms. It was a pretty stupid deal, whatever problems she had with her father didn’t compare to mine, there was no way it could.

SHARK: Nope. Can’t tell you anything about my father cause I don’t got one, never did, never will, so I guess you can just go ahead and tell me about your old man.

I kept my eyes on the TV screen, continuing to look through the channels. Kadri started to become a little bit agitated, which just made her that much sexier. She groaned and blocked my view of the television by sitting on my pelvis, her bald pussy pressing up against me.

KADRI: Look, everyone has a father but it takes a real man to be a dad. You can’t keep these thoughts bottled up forever, you need to release them. Trust me, it’ll make you feel a lot better to, so please, tell me Sharkyyy…

I rolled my eyes, I knew that she wasn’t going to let this go until I told her. She blocked my view from the TV screen and every time I tried to duck around her, she grabbed my head to pull it back to the center. I swear, if it was any other girl, hell, even if it was Brooklyn a few months back when we were happy, I would’ve just threw her off of me.

It was a touchy subject and someone forcing me to open up to them about this usually made me want to lash out in anger, but looking into her eyes, all I saw was a chick that cared about me.

This girl was special. She was tired too, I also saw that in her eyes, she didn’t have to do this, she could’ve just went back to bed when she turned off the lights. I sighed and pointed the remote towards the TV, putting it to mute so that the light from the television was all that was there.

SHARK: The things...you make me fucking do, yo

I looked over her shoulder as I spotted a glass of water in the far distance, resting near the television.

SHARK: Aight yo, get up off of me and it’s story time.

She turned around and followed my eyes, spotting the glass as she brought her attention back over to me, smiling.

KADRI: Start telling the story and I’ll get you the water.

I watched as she slowly got off of me and teasingly walked over to the water, knowing that I was watching. Her ass was mesmerizing. As she came back with the water, she took a sip out of it as I shook my head.

SHARK: Damn yo..

KADRI: Sorry, I’m a little parched from all the sex. Here you go.

She handed the water to me and I purposely let my hand glide past her boob. She giggled as she laid down next to me again. I took the glass and drank the whole thing, leaving it empty, I really needed it. She took the glass from me and placed it on the night table beside her as she grabbed my hand.

KADRI: Whenever you’re ready..

SHARK: Where the fuck do I even begin yo, like for real...

KADRI: Start at the beginning and tell me everything that leads up to whatever it was that put you in this funky mood. I promise to stay awake for the entire thing no matter how tired I am.

She rubbed her thumbs on my hand as I chuckled.

SHARK: Yeah… good luck with not fallin asleep on me, you in for one boring ass story.

I said sarcastically, just sitting there, staring up at the news channel on the TV screen, buying a little bit of time before sighing and deciding to get it over with.

SHARK: Everybody knows I ain’t grow up without no father, they all know that, but they ain’t know what it was like, the shit that happened to me because of it. I was exposed to a whole bunch of shit that a young kid should never have to see. I didn’t fucking know what the hell my Ma was doing injecting herself each night, I had no clue why dudes of all ages were comin in and out of my crib. Like yo… I was exposed to a whole bunch of wild shit man.

Reminding of myself of that kind of stuff wasn’t easy, I took a look at Kadri who was giving me a hard stare, studying me and giving me her full attention.

SHARK: You know what my fucking alarm clock was? Certainly not this type of shit…

I shut off the alarm and looked over at Kadri, the hard stare was gone and now she was just trying to hide the smirk on her face because of the alarm. She knew that I was still serious so she did a good job at composing herself.

SHARK: I wish I had that type of fucking alarm clock back in the day yo, my alarm clock was gunshots, straight up, early in the morning gunshots, and if it wasn’t no gunshots, then it was the bitch next door screaming for her boyfriend to stop beating her. If it wasn’t that, it was the pimp slapping around one of his hoes from across the street. Like yo… Kadri, this nigga fucking left me, he didn’t give a damn, he had the chance to save my ass, get me out of there but he chose not to. I had to watch my own fucking mother die and I didn’t even know her ass was dead till later, hell I just thought the bitch was asleep. Nobody knows the shit I went through but they all want to fucking judge me:“Oh James Shark is so bad, he’s so evil, he’s a piece of shit, he’s going to burn in hell”nah… fuck all of them yo. People wonder why I say such disrespect shit, they wonder why I wish cancer on my opponents and go personal on them. They only got themselves to blame.

SHARK: After living all that hollywood ghetto movie bullshit, the cops contacted my father on the phone right in front of me in the station. He didn’t fucking want me, nah, they had to take my ass to child services, drag my ass from family to family, they didn’t want my ass either.“Oh this kid is nothing but trouble”they said. Ain’t nobody fucking cared about my ass so I left, went into the streets. I’m sure you’ve heard all about that right? How I lived on the streets, cause everybody talks about it like I’m proud of that shit.“James Shark the street thug, the street fighter”they don’t even know what the fuck it’s like, I wasn’t proud of any of it. I was a damn child with nowhere to go, I was exposed to so much shit in my own home, just imagine all the type of other shit I was exposed to in the real world.

SHARK: Going from street to street, not knowing where the hell you’re going to sleep, what the hell you’re going to eat, who the fuck you’re going to run into. It was a jungle out there, I had to steal, I had to fight, I had no choice but to do all that gangster shit. I had to do a lot of things that I ain’t proud of yo, I couldn’t even tell you all the shit i’ve done, but you know what? It all points back to that fucker, that poor excuse of a father.

Kadri had her eyebrows scrunched at me as she slowly shook her head at what she was hearing.

SHARK: I made it out of the ghetto, I made myself into something. Yeah, street fighting is what got me discovered, I took that Kimbo Slice route and all but I turned into something bigger than that big ole bearded nigga. I became James motherfucking Shark, and as soon as I copped world titles and fat stacks of cash, guess who finally decided they wanted to be a part of my life?

KADRI: Oh don’t tell me your dad was so much of a lowlife that he decided he only wanted you when you got money?

Kadri had a disgusted look on her face, a look she only had when skanky ass hoes were around or when she had some really bad kush. I immediately raised her hand into the air.

SHARK: Ding, ding, ding, ding! You already fucking know…

I released her hand and rolled my eyes as I shoved my hands back together, crossing my arms again as I shook my head.

SHARK: Nigga came back, didn’t even fucking say hello, not even a damn greeting yo. Showed up into my damn locker room in the IWF a little while before I met you two years ago and just asked, straight up asked, and you know what? I don’t even think he said please. That dumb motherfucker had the audacity to just come at me like that, after everything he put me through.

I put my hands out as if I was asking for something, changing the sound of my voice to sound all high pitched.

SHARK:“James I need some money” “James I need some help” “James I need this” “James I need that”I need, I need, I fucking need, well I needed a fucking father. That’s what the fuck I needed. So yeah, I kicked him the fuck out of my locker room and he was lucky that he walked away without a scratch on him. Now thinking about it, I should’ve murdered his ass right there, ended all of the bullshit so that years later, I’m not over here losing sleep over this damn fool.

I pointed right at the clock that glowed in the dark.

SHARK: Damn near 5 fucking AM and this nigga is probably having a good night’s rest.

I shook my head.

SHARK: I don’t even… this is just… it’s so fucking stupid yo. You already get the point, you have a perfect picture of what my“father”is like. Why even tell you about how he showed up months ago and Brooklyn’s bitch ass talked me into believing that he was actually sorry, that he actually cared. Why even tell you about how my dumbass bought the whole thing and felt sorry for him when he said he was dying and needed money for treatment, why even tell you that I was so fucking stupid enough to go ahead and pay for it all… only for him to disappear from my lifeEXACTLY THE WAY HE DID WHEN I WAS A FUCKING BOY.

Out of anger I just grabbed the closest thing that was near me which was my alarm clock, I grabbed it and threw it across the room. It smashed up against the wall and fell right to the floor, going off.

I jumped right out of the bed and began to stomp on the clock, foot stomping the hell out of it until it made no noise at all, until it wasn’t even 3D anymore. Kadri sat up and looked directly at me. I could tell that she didn’t like the way that I was acting. I looked back down at the clock one last time before letting out a deep sigh, I slowly walked back over to bed and crawled into the covers and stared right up at the ceiling as Kadri instantly cuddled onto me.

SHARK: Then fast forward to a few days ago where I fucking saw him in that promotional event, he looked at me right in the damn eyes. Fuck knows what the hell he was doing in Boston, at that event or just in general.

That’s what I couldn’t figure out, what his intentions were but at the same time his intentions didn’t fucking matter because, overall, he was the one that didn’t matter. I kept looking up at the ceiling and felt her hair brush against my cheek followed by her beautiful lips pressing against it.

KADRI: I’m so sorry that you’ve had to go through this with your father. He sounds like the worst type of shit out there. But at least you have something in your life that makes you happy...or should I say someone. You need to think less about him and more about that PWP event. I know you don’t need me reminding you that it’ll be a one night tournament to crown the first ever PWP World Champion. We both know how big that is and you need to get your rest, get your head straight. By doing this, all you’re doing is giving him what he wants.

I kept my eyes at the fan above us, watching it slowly spin as I nodded my head, she was right.

SHARK: They gonna be crowning me, that’s all they gonna do, I’m getting crowned. This motherfucker ain’t going to get in my head, I ain’t letting him.

It was funny how on Monday, I was thinking to myself how nobody could get in my head due to me being the master of mind games, then not even a few minutes later, that sack of shit gets into my head. I suddenly feel Kadri’s arm reach across and grab the remote for the TV, turning it off and delivering us back to total pitch, black darkness. Her naked body pressed up against mine as her body heat warmed me.

KADRI: Get some sleep James. You have an important match to prepare for.

SHARK: Psh I’m ready for it, we can do that tournament right now.

KADRI: Yeah, yeah, just get some shut eye.

She locked lips with me momentarily as we kissed before she rested her head onto my chest with my arm around her. A lot of people didn’t see how special this girl was to me but I did and that’s all that mattered. I waited a few minutes, so that she was asleep, or maybe I waited a few minutes just to gather up my thoughts and debate if I was about to make the right decision. I took my free arm and slowly leaned towards the night table, reaching for the top drawer as I pulled it open and searched inside, feeling through the various objects inside as I searched for what I was looking for in the dark.

I felt a small box and grabbed it, turning the lights back on. I sat up and caused her head to slide off of my chest as we both shielded our eyes for a moment.

KADRI:JAMES!Come on, you need sleep damn it, hell, I need sleep.

Her head was sitting right next to my...well her favorite part. But there was something I wanted to give her and she needed to be awake for it. I had thought this through and after this talk we had, I knew what I wanted.

I laughed at the small irritated face she was making as I found out to be adorable but me laughing only seemed to annoy her, before she could say another word I flashed the box in her face and then handed it to her.

KADRI: What….What is this?

She held the box in her hand as she examined it. Her eyes then grew wide as she looked back up at me.

KADRI: Awe James….. you.. you better not be proposing again. Because two years back in Italy… I mean…this is romantic but we’re not really together and-

SHARK: I feel you and all but just open it, it ain’t no proposal but it’s something else.

I smiled at her as I felt kind of nervous, waiting for her reaction as she held onto the box. I saw Kadri’s eyes light up as she looked down at what was in the box. She covered her mouth with her other hand in surprise as she removed what was inside.

KADRI: Is this...is this my engagement ring? You turned it into a necklace! Oh my god James, I absolutely love it!

Two weeks ago after my win over Propaganda, she gave me back the engagement ring I had given her back in 2012. It wasn’t till a few days ago till I turned it into a necklace. I knew that we were going somewhere and I wanted to give it back to her to look back at the memories we had back then.

She quickly leaned in close and kissed my lips again as I held her close and let it linger. Once we separated from the kiss, I smiled and took the necklace from her, placing it around her neck as she bit her lips.

KADRI: How’s it look?

SHARK: Boss.

Kadri did a little happy dance as I looked at her with a weird face. She laughed at my reaction and punched me in the arm before finding her phone and using it as a mirror to look at the necklace around her neck.

SHARK: I was gonna give this to you on Valentine’s Day and all but… you had to have known something was coming your way, I thought might as well keep it unpredictable by doing it now. I hope you get the meaning of it tho, that’s supposed to represent the past, back in ‘12, all the good times we had before it all went to shit...

She kept her eyes on her phone’s camera as she checked herself out, she couldn’t stop smiling.

I looked down at the bed sheets before looking back up at her. I could feel my stomach tie into a bit of a knot, it was definitely those damn butterflies which made me feel funny. I wasn’t the type of dude to get all nervous like this. I didn’t find myself getting nervous before a huge match but yet here I was feeling it.

SHARK: I also… ain’t wanted to wait to tell you that I want you to be my girl.

That caught her attention, her mouth slowly opened as she looked over at me.

SHARK: Be my girl“again”I meant to say, officially.

Her look changed to be a bit of a concerned one.

KADRI: Are you sure that is what you want? I want to, I really do but….you just got out of a bad relationship and all your friends are talking about you being the old James Shark, the player type that sleeps around. I just want to make sure it’s something that you really want.

Those eyes...of hers, they just made my answer that much easier. I grabbed her two hands and held them tight as I sat up into a better position, nodding my head as I looked directly into those eyes.

SHARK: Yeah, fuck yeah, i’m dead ass. This is exactly what I want, it’s been damn near a month since I broke off of my other relationship yo, a whole friggen month and i’m telling you that I’m over her. She really fucked up, people think that I’m using you to get her jealous and it ain’t like that at all, there’s a real feeling here. As for what my boys say? Fuck em. A lot of people aren’t sure about me and you, they be throwin you hate, throwin me criticism, but I couldn’t give a fuck bout any of that, it’s me and you, they ain’t got nothing to do with it.

The butterflies in my stomach were now gone, maybe they went away with the silent fart I let out a few moments ago due to being so nervous. She clearly hadn’t noticed and thank Black Jesus for that one.

SHARK: Kadri… I want you yo. I ain’t ever been so sure bout something in my life. I want you and I ain’t gonna hurt you again…

I still couldn’t believe how I had actually cheated on her, not only that but deported her back to Estonia after she dumped me. That had to be the biggest mistake of my life and for a long time It had been in the back of my mind, eating up inside of me.

KADRI: You better not hurt me again because I swear it almost killed me the last time.

She looked at me dead in the eyes but couldn’t help but go back to smiling.

KADRI: I am just super happy because honestly, this is what I wanted, oh and does this mean I can openly say I love you again?

I shrugged my shoulders.

SHARK: Only if you mean it… that might add in some more hate, but these fucks ain’t gonna understand even if we explained it to em. Yeah, you can.

KADRI: Well, I do love you sir. Everything about you….

We touched lips again as she whispered into my mouth.

KADRI: I love…

It wasn’t long before we ended up having a “Round 2”. It didn’t matter if it was going to be 6AM, there was no way we both were going to find sleep due to us being official again anyways. As she wrapped her legs around my body and I slowly entered her we got it on. So many positions, so many soft and hard screams leaving her lips, we both went from making love to fucking and it lasted the whole morning.

Yall already know what it is, James Shark, live and on camera, current IWF Heavyweight Champion, current IWF High Impact Champion and the future PWP World Champion. What can I say? I’m on my triple-crown shit and ain’t nobody going to take that away from me.

As you fucks can see, my black ass in a jolly good mood tonight so damn, let me not be rude. How are all ofYOUon this fine night? Good? Bad? So-So?

You people are probably wondering why I’m in this mood so shit, let me go ahead and tell you. It’s because no more than a couple hours back, James Shark got taken off the market yall. Yeah, that nigga ain’t single no more. He’s back with a girl he shoulda never lost.

Before you Sharklyn weirdos get yo’self all hyped up, lemme tell you it ain’t with that loosey goose that got her pussy stretched open with those twins. Nuh uh, it’s this chick.

BAM!Say Hello to the Estonian Beauty known as Kadri motherfucking Ilves. Badder than my previous bitch and your current bitch.

And just like that, everything said towards me in Old Man Johnson’s promo has gone to shit.

But you know what? Speaking of promos, I’ll get to Flex in a good minute or two but Jesus Christ. I watched about three promos from you people and enough is enough for me yall. I’m done watching any promos because you motherfuckers irritate the shit out of me with your ignorance, man.

I’ve just come to the conclusion thatNONEof you haveANYTHINGon me,NOT ONE THING.Holy shit bruh, I’m the biggest fucking threat in this match and you people don’t know jack-shit when it comes to me. Doesn’t that bother yall? Doesn’t that worry you folks? Maybe a good idea would be to do some homework on me? A little bit of research? Find some good dirt or something? I mean come on yall… this shit is redic.

Classclown Frankie Emerson over here wants to stage his promos, act it out as if he isn’t aware a camera is in the room while he pretends I’m a real life Shark…. Sister Liliana over there wants to talk about ONE simple little mixup I made on Twitter about a year ago…. Whoever the fuck TJ Codair is just wants to say he’sNEVERheard of me…OH, OH OHand let’s not fucking forget about Robert and Flex.

You people annoy the fuck out of me more than all of my baby mommas combined. Do you have any idea how muchTHEY annoy me? With their talking shit and non-stop drama? But no, you guys took the fucking cake, congratulations.

TJ Codair, who the fuck are you? You say you don’t know me, never heard of me, well guess what? I don’t know you but youSHOULDknow me. TheONLYthing I know about you is that you’ve never held a championship in your life and you’re a 5’11 weighing 236lbs. You’re fat and overweight, go home, this tournament aint for you. I hope to God you were just trying to get under my skin when you said you ain’t ever heard of my name, the hell is wrong with you? Have you never heard your sister screaming it out at night? Your Mother? Girlfriend? Hmph…Grandmother even? You want to tell me you’ve never heard that name on TV or seen it on your morning paper then you’re nothin but a fucking lie. Luckily for you, I’ll make you a deal bruh. You get through three other men and meet me in the finals and I’ll make sureEVERYBODYknows who TJ Codair is. No, not for winning the PWP Championship but for being“that guy”that James Shark knocked the fuck outAND THENtea bagged after.

Frankie, I get you, you the clown, you like to make people laugh but this shit ain’t no stand-up comedy. If this tournament was to determine the funniest dude then you win hands down, you’re a straight fucking joke. Too bad for you this is a fucking fight, you’re going to get hurt my nigga and then we’ll see who’s laughing and cracking jokes. I don’t respect you for planning out your promos and reading off of scripts that you write up. The first promo? It was gold, legitimate gold. A thirty second promo that had everything but the second one? It was fucking fake and I want my 7 minutes back, nigga. Actually, you know what? You owe me fourteen minutes, I already wasted another seven minutes in a match, knocking out your co-worker Audrey James.“Well what does she have to do with me Shark Boy!?”You’re in PWSi and I’m James Shark, in case you didn’t realize this, we’re at war. I’ve already taken out at least two of your people, you’re going to be number three. Then the score will be James Shark-3 PWSi-0. Besides, you should know a thing or two bout Audrey. Didn’t you get your ass kicked in a match forcing you to go on with a stipulation that made you compete in the Vixxen’s Division? Fucking pussy, I bet you got your ass kicked there too. The hell are you even doing in a tournament to crown the best of the best!? I think you signed up for the wrong one, CWF Is holding their own tournament too and we all know CWF has the worst wrestlers in the business, so if you want to go sign up for the Worst of the Worst I think you’d get a good chance.

Oh, oh, and Sister Liliana, the fuck are you doing calling me out on aTYPOI made on TwitterTWO MONTHS AGO?Nah,A YEAR AGOeven!? Like really bitch? You literally got nothing more than a simple mistake on me? “Oh Shark said Any Given Sundae instead of Any Given Fryday, he doesn’t grasp the concept so now he is not worth my time”You dress up as a fucking French fry yo, what makes you think your worth anybody’s time!?I’VE WON MORE CHAMPIONSHIPS THEN YOU’VE WON MATCHES BUT YET “He made a mistake on Twitter, nope, he’s not worth my time” Grab some rope, grab a damn chair, and fucking hang yourself yo.

Out of all the stupidity that’s came from the three of you, Flex Johnson and Robert Saints managed to out-do you fools.

Flex, I thought I called you out on this shit before, have you lost your damn mind? I know you don’t believe the things you say. Let me guess, you just didn’t know what to say against me right? Just like all these other people, you just had no material to use huh? You just had no legitimate words against me so you decided to talk out of your ass.

“Hmm well what can I say about Shark!? Even though Shark has beenWINNINGand is coming off ofTWO HUGE WINSI’m going to say“Oh how the mighty have fallen”I’m going to say that nobody fears you anymore. I’m also going to get your nickname wrong with my ignorant assANDto make matters worse, I’m going to say you still miss Brooklyn”

“Hi my name is Flex Johnson, I visited Brooklyn the other day and she told me all about the problems you two had. You are not happy Shark, even though I don’t know you, have never spent time with you outside of the ring and don’t know what the hell is up with you other than what you post on Twitter, I’m going to say you’re not happy”

“Now you got your kids taken away from you. You miss Brooklyn and it hurts you that she’s moved on. How do I know this? I don’t! I’m honestly just rambling on a bunch of bullshit because you already defeated me before Shark, you defeated me and embarrassed me. Back in the IWF, I agreed that the loser to our match retires just like Maddox did,AND JUST LIKE MADDOX, WHEN I LOST TO YOU, I DID NOT RETIRE SHARK. I AM SUCH A FUCKING COWARD AND A DISGRACE TO ALL BLACK MEN”

Bitch made ass nigger. You should be talking to yourself when you say “Oh how the mighty have fallen”You’re a fucking veteran dog, you’ve been in this game for a while now, so what the fuck are you doing making a promo like that? Where’s the real talk? Where’s the flow? Where’s the Flex Johnson that I respected working in the IWF before I stomped your ass out huh? Where is he? Obviously nowhere to be found.

After watching that piece of shit, I put you on the missing person’s list.

I wonder how stupid you feel now that I’m back in a relationship. I can already hear you making up excuses, calling it a cover-up, this and that. I don’t give a fuck Flex. You can talk all you want but at the end of the day, all you are is‘ALL FART’and‘NO POOP’

You say that you’re not scared of me and that’s because you’re fucking terrified of me. You wet your bed at night thinking about my fists and cringe, all while crappin your pants at the sight of me. You had your chance for a rematch against me in the last PWP event, you didn’t take it.“What!? No I did not Sir”Yes you fucking did.“I wasn’t in the poll Sir!” Yes you fucking were, until you asked to be removed from it.“And why on earth would I do such a cowardly move like that Sir?” Because you saw my name on it Flex.

I’m surprised you even took this tournament after knowing I was going to be on it. You can front like you’re not afraid of me but I see right through the bullshit you spew. You’re damn near forty five years old and I’m twenty five. You’re old enough to be my fucking father. You can say that you’re in great condition but as wrestlers, we all know how much this sport takes out of us. You don’t have the same speed you once did, the same reflexes, the same strength… I mean, hey yo Flex, when was the last time you won a fucking world championship? When was the last time you headlined a PPV event?

You’re fucking done, son.

I don’t think you make it out of the first round of this tournament but you know what? I hope you do homie, I hope you fucking do. You be on some real ass kissing shit on Twitter, you’re the type of bitch to win this thing and tweet out to Brooklyn: “YAY OMG I beat Shark for you, he was in the tournament I won”

For real tho, make it out of the first round, somehow make your way over to me, and I will end you.

That ain’t a threat my nigga, it’s a promise.

And as for Robert? I was going to come at this nigga but what’s the point? Seriously, the hell is the point? By now, a bunch of other promos probably got uploaded just like his. You people are so clueless when it comes to me. This nigga actually said “Nobody expects you to win the PWP Championship”What a dumb fuck. Yeah, nobody expects James Shark to win this thing, my god, I’m just about done with all of you clowns.

Yall are comedians just as much as Frankie… now I’m starting to think that this tournamentISto crown the funniest person. My bad, It must’ve been me that entered the wrong tournament, wow, now I look really stupid.

I mean, take a look at Darren yo. This white boy told me that me and him had“unfinished business”I FORGOT HE EVEN EXISTED AND HE WANTS TO TELL ME WE HAVE UNFINISHED BUISNESS?How the fuck can me and him have unfinished business when we didn’t even have business to begin with? Darren won that poll because the fans voted him in to watch him get beat on by me. He hadNObusiness being in that ring with me much like Peyton when it comes to this first round.

What kind of a sick fuck puts this 18 year old rookie who hasn’t done a damn thing in his own company, in the ring with a big black man who has done itALLin his company? Joshua Duncan, that’s what kind of a sick fuck.

Peyton's situation ain't no different from all of you tho. He ain't ready for me but neither are the rest of you. I got too much experience, too much speed, too much power, too much skill and way too much on the line along with a lot to lose if things don't go my way.

You people think you're going to win withALLthese different reasons and explanations but yet you idiots can't give meONEreason as to why you will defeat James Shark.

Go fuck yourselves, all of you.

None of you are stopping me from winning this thing. I already have a guaranteed spot in the finals, I could give a damn who it’s going to be in there with me. Put them in the ring with me and I’ll beat them.

This be the biggest event in PWP history and it’s going to end with the biggest star in PWP history. Now I know PWP has only had four shows but PWP can have a hundred shows, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five- it won’t matter. When it’s all said and done, out of all the people that’s appeared in this company, James Shark is gonna go down as the biggest name in their history.

You’ve all sacrificed to be in this thing and when that final bell rings, all that sacrifice is going to be a wasted effort. Each and everyone of you are going to see the bad guy grasp his arms around the one piece of gold that’s been on your minds for weeks. I’m going to rub it in all yalls faces and then I’m going to defend it in PWP 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, maaaaaaan, I’m going to defend it until I get bored and eventually vacate it due to lack of competition and motivation.

What you people fail to realize is that these types of things are my specialty. I can't even tell you people how many times I've been double booked, even triple booked. I have no problem doing multiple matches in one night. I won the NLWF Championship and the NLWF Freedom Championship in one night, in two different matches. I won the PDW Bloodshed Championship in one night after already wrestling that same day. I'm going to win the PWP World title after wrestling in three other matches.

Me winning this match won't be nothing but an"I told you so"along with going down as a moment in history.

This is my chance. This is my night. This my event. This is my moment.

Just be grateful that I'm letting all you undeserving fucks be apart of it.

Last edited by JFRESH on Thu Feb 13, 2014 1:58 am; edited 1 time in total

“Peyton, every time I see you, you have that laptop in front of you. It’s bad for your eyes, yes?” Maribel tenderly moved stray hairs from in front of her son’s focused face. He didn’t peer up at his mother, allowing her to straighten up whatever. He did acknowledge her, however.

“I am studying.”

“Studying more wrestlers? Peyton, your mind can only contain so much,” her accent was adorable.

“Yeah, if I do not study, I’ll get stomped again.”

“You’re still worrying about monsieur Anderson?” Maribel crossed her arms, giving Peyton a concerned look. Peyton somewhat annoyingly closed the laptop, gazing up at his mother. Their eyes locked, but their emotions were completely different.

“No, not him,” Peyton moved the laptop away; he would return it to his bag later. “I’ve stopped worrying about him long time ago,” he said, with a tune in his voice. “I am worried about James Shark and Flex Johnson.”

Maribel put together the names quickly.

“Oh. Gold Rush,” she peered over into another direction. “That makes sense,” she added, moving back into the kitchen. Peyton watched her, then decided to follow her. He wanted a drink, anyways. “Do you do anything else now, Peyton?”

“Yeah, I still keep up with friends,” Peyton answered, pouting slightly. He opened the fridge and took out a Mountain Dew. He glanced over the drink before placing it back into the fridge. The sugary beverage was not necessary. He pulled out a bottle of water and opened up, taking a long sip. He put the cap back on and moved back towards his mother. She was tending one of her plants…one of her babies.

The bonsai tree needed tending to. Maribel softly snipped an odd branch off and put it into the trash. “You hardly talk to us about anything other than wrestling, miel. I had to make sure that you’re still socially active,” she explained. Peyton snickered at his mother’s odd concern.

“You’re acting like wrestlers are not people.”

“You always end up in obscure situations, like the whole Skittles thing.”

Peyton almost turned pale at the mentioning of that horrific event.

“I am concerned, tis all,” Maribel analysed the plant and petted it gently, like you would a puppy. “I mean, look at you with your big boy abs,” she poked him in the stomach, causing him to giggle like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. “Just because you’re all big and strong doesn’t mean—“

She stopped mid-sentence and dropped her tools; it snapped her back to reality via agony. Peyton, noticing where the first direction she looked in, peered up to see what made her drop the dangerous items. And he understood why immediately. Boots struck the floor hard as Cameron von Licht made his way into his mother’s kitchen. His hair was black, professionally dyed, obviously. His eyes were as green as the rest of his family’s, but they bore daggers into the soul of his younger brother. Cameron towered over his brother; his six foot and three inches versus Peyton’s five foot and ten inches.

Despite Peyton’s physique developing, his brother still dwarfed him. Cameron smirked, showing his menacing grin. Peyton took an immediate step back. In Canada, Cameron was a force. If Leon had given all of his wrestling skill to one person, it would be Cameron.

“Sure, he got some muscle down here, but I can still dominate him in an arm wrestling match,” he spoke to his mother, taking a seat. Peyton gulped down his fears and spoke up.

"Cameron…”

That’s all he could do.

“Yes, brother?”

“You’re here for what reason?”

Cameron’s eyebrow cocked with Peyton’s “hostile” question. “Pops told me that you were up here. I had to come check in with you. You avoid me so well, despite the fact that you’re cheating,” Cameron took his mother’s mug of tea and took a fine sip. A bitter respond appeared on his face and he sat it down respectfully. He platted down on his fur-lined jacket and crossed one of his denim covered legs over the other.

“Cheating?” Peyton retorted, confused. He was still in pajamas.

“You scurried off to America,” Cameron answered, letting go of the devious smirk. Peyton’s eyes went to the ground. He couldn’t keep up the staring contest with those intense eyes. “No championships yet?”

“Sad. Because Shark is going to punch your teeth out and drink up the blood afterward,” Cameron licked his lips, mocking Peyton’s current situation. He chuckled darkly; Maribel gave Cameron a glare.

“What?” He asked, surprised that she even cared.

“Your rudeness is not necessary, Cameron,” she sternly said.

“I am only telling him the truth. If he knew the truth from the beginning, then he would be champion and not have this little personality defect,” Cameron spat, not at Maribel, but at Peyton. Peyton bit his lip.

“And none of us are wanting to see that happen. So, don’t show up, Peyton.” Cameron stood up.

“Even if you trained for ten months straight, James will always be better than you. Just like Anderson. Just like Gunn. Just like V.”

And something just triggered. Peyton yanked Cameron’s shoulder back, turning the taller man towards him. With venomous intent, Peyton struck his brother down. Cameron hit the table, using it as a stop. He struggled to get back on his feet, rattled by what just occurred.

Peyton gazed back to his mother whose eyes were wide and frightened.

“I’m leaving now,” Peyton said gently, before making his way out of the kitchen. Soon enough, he had his suitcase and laptop. It took fifteen minutes for Peyton to leave the house, leaving a stunned Cameron and Maribel von Licht.

II: PRIDE AND RECOGNITION

A WEEK BEFORE PWP GOLD RUSH

Leon von Licht's residence

Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

Leon didn’t know if he wanted to chuckle or smack Peyton. All he could do neutrally was ask.

“You punched Cameron?”

Peyton nodded and then smiled. “I think he deserved it,” he said, carefree of the situation. Leon didn’t dwell on it too long. They might be older enough to drink (well, Cameron, anyways) but they are still boys. He noticed the laptop in front of Peyton. He took a breath, ready for anything that Peyton might say.

“What are you doing, son?”

“Studying. Gold Rush tournament.”

Leon was shocked. Peyton had summarized everything without dropping excessive details. Impressive. Leon didn’t want to drag on too long, but he had something to say.

“Peyton, can you stop for a moment?”

Peyton closed his laptop quickly, looking at his father with a blank expression. “Yeah, dad?”

“You know that I’m proud of you, right?”

It took Peyton a moment to realize what his father said. It soon was evident that he did. Peyton’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “You—you are?” Peyton had to take a double take at his father. His father pursed his lips and nodded. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I am not as good as Oliver and will never be as good as Cameron,” Peyton responded quickly. His father’s face softened; he had a hunch, but he thought that Peyton didn’t care. He stood up and sat next to his son. He arched an arm around the boy’s shoulder.

“How can I judge you like that if you just started wrestling professionally? Honestly, you’re having a better start than both of your brothers. You only lost once and that was to a man that has been beaten since he has started,” Leon explained, gazing at the posters on the wall. He briefly reminisced on his wrestling days.

He smiled gently.

“I believe that you were right for knocking down your brother,” he further added, causing Peyton to flinch. “You stood your ground. And for that, you’ve proven to me that you have evolved into a man. You’re no longer that timid boy who barely could do a small package. You have trained. I think you got a chance of winning that PWP championship you’re so worried ‘bout.”

Peyton looked to the side and shouted, causing his dad to move away quickly. “Dad!” Peyton pointed to the stairway. “There is a robber—“

“No, it’s your brother.”

“Ouch, I need to shave more,” a hurt voice came from the new arrival.

Down the stairs came Oliver von Licht. The blonde bombshell of the von Licht family. His long hair was wrapped in a ponytail. He stepped close to his brother who couldn’t help but hug his older brother. It was the complete opposite than what occurred with Cameron.

“If you want to win a world championship, we’re going to have to train you. Let me take you under my wing, little bro.”

Peyton nervously twitched. He suddenly remembered; Oliver had the same training from their father. Peyton gazed over to his father who smirked deviously. Pain and agony was in Peyton’s near future.

III: PREPARATION

Oliver von Licht's car

Boston, Massachusetts

“Is that the arena?” Oliver asked, as they drove close to the Agganis Arena. Peyton made an affirmative noise and Oliver turned in. He gazed over at his brother who wore his signature “Hero” hoodie. Sunrise was just some lowly independent federation, right? How did it change Peyton that much? Oliver disregarded his thoughts; he was busy driving.

“An all-night fight? Wow, I have never done one of those before,” Oliver explained, trying to make conversation with his brother. Peyton hardly responded. Oliver’s face showed a glimpse of anger. He hated being ignored.

“Peyton?”

No answer.

“Peyton?!”

Peyton yelped and rose up swiftly. Oliver stopped the car in the parking lot, gazing at his brother. “I was asleep,” Peyton said, rubbing his eyes under his hood. Oliver let go an ashamed sigh. His brother was still the same kid he knew behind that cowl. He guessed that Peyton turned into a different man when the camera’s on. He looked upon the giant arena and smiled. “Wow, I haven’t been here in a while, either.”

“Me neither,” Peyton joked, causing Oliver to hit him in the arm. Peyton rubbed his arm. “Owy,” he let go.

“Are you ready?” Oliver asked, parking the car effectively.

“As ready as I will be, Oliver!” Peyton said, saluting his brother. He let out a childish giggle. It has been a week since they’ve started training. Oliver did the best he could, honestly. He could only silently hope that his brother paid attention well and made sure that he studied correctly. “Who are you facing and what does he like to do?”

“James Shark. He likes to knock teeth out.”

“How are you going to fight him?”

“Do not box with him. Do not trade strikes. Exploit his possible arrogance and work his joints!”

“Good!”

“What are you going to do after your match if you win?”

“Shake his hand and leave to recover. Get a bottle of water, do not sit down, and watch the matches. Take notes on your possible opponents!”

“Smart, smart…” Oliver patted his brother on the shoulder.

“Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“Nothing truly negative on my opponents. Wrestling is respectable. We all cannot be like Cameron and curse out any guy that looks at us funny!”

Oliver was taken aback by the sudden comment. He remembered how Cameron would curse him out when they were in a federation together. Luckily, Cameron wouldn’t make the way down to America. Oliver looked upon his brother and nodded. “I think you’re ready, Peyton.”

“Um, Oliver?” Peyton asked. Oliver acknowledged him. “Why did you show up? I can understand Cameron, but you hardly show up at our parents’ house. Especially…Dad’s,” Peyton looked to the ground, solemnly.

“I can’t say that we all made up, but I heard that my little brother could win a world championship and I had to pop up. I am going to be in the crowd, you know?”

Peyton tilted his head.

“Yeah, I am. I think Mr Duncan won’t be too mad if I sneak backstage to check on you, right?” Oliver winked, getting a giggle out of his brother. Peyton gazed at the arena.

“I just hope it’s not like Inferno.”

“Inferno?” Oliver asked, perplexed.

“Yeah, I threw a cross into a girl’s room and got my head stomped on because of it.”

Oliver didn’t know how to react. “Um,” he tried to muster up some words, but failed all together.

“It drew blood, I hear.”

Oliver’s demeanour became serious within an instant. “Blood?” He asked, deeply concerned on the matter.

“I guess,” Peyton shrugged. He began to gather his belongings and opened the car door. “I’ll see you later, Olly!” Peyton exited the car and began to make his way towards the arena. Oliver remained perplexed in the car. Tonight could end up horribly if someone drew blood. Peyton doesn’t do well around blood.

The scene opens to Peyton sitting on an azure colored bench inside of the locker room arena. His now signature hood cast a shadow upon his face. He cracked his knuckles out of habit, not yet moving his head towards the camera.

“I joined PWP a month ago. I was wide-eyed, not knowing of anyone or anything. I didn’t know what Josh Duncan had in store for me, other than informing that I was going to be in this ‘Gold Rush’ tourney. A gauntlet in which I, and several others, would have to wage war for a whole night, advancing in a whole tournament to be crowned PWP Heavyweight Champion,” Peyton explained, massaging his chin.

“Let’s see what has transpired in a month, shall we?”

Peyton rose his head, revealing the stubble that he grew. No longer was Peyton’s face the smooth, baby-like face that many saw when he first debuted. Now, his eyes were sharper, his face rugged. A bandage was placed on his cheek, indicating he had been in some incident recently. He tapped, hissing at the pain that still lingered.

“After joining PWP, I went out and signed with Wrestle UTA, one of the fastest rising federations today. There, I was shown my first glimpse of the experienced and grizzly world that wrestling has conjured up. I embarrassed myself. I walked into the locker room of Joker’s Wild, unsure where I was even supposed to go. I found out that I wasn’t even supposed to be there,” the boy laughed loudly; it turned to a chuckle, and then…silence. He took a breath.

“Then I signed to Inferno. That place is my own personal hell. To many, I made a huge mistake. I caught the attention and fury of Angelica Layne and her lovely boyfriend, Josh Anderson. I threw a—“Peyton had to catch himself from laughing. “I threw a cross into her locker room!”

Peyton’s gleeful expression dropped slowly. “Then Josh stomped my head into the mat in my first match there. People tell me that I went on some sort of tangent later, but it is all fuzzy. Maybe he stomped a bit too hard, huh?”

“But what does everyone know? I got up. I got up of my own free will and went back to the drawing board. This leads me to Sunrise Wrestling.”

“Sunrise Wrestling, a fresh federation full of potential, signed me. Many of the folk backstage would gaze over me, roll their eyes, and move on. That was until I did something many believed would be the worst move I’ve made in my career. I ‘called out’ V, the strongest competitor in the federation. And you know what, she liked this tenacity that I bear. She took me under her wing. She taught me about confidence. Something I barely had. She taught me how to hone my budding skills.”

Peyton stood up, intensity influencing his voice.

“With these teachings, I awakened to my new role. I am not just some kid trying to make a career for himself. I am a hero. It is my destiny to help cleanse the wrestling world of these ruffians and hedonistic louts who bully and torture those who do not deserve it. I have the courage to do things that many do not! I am Wrestling’s Personal Hero!”

“And I couldn’t just think that I am one. I had to train myself. I had to prove myself. I went to the gym every day, working on my cardio, my physique. I went in to different schools, learning new tactics. I studied competitors deeply, learning their tactics! I defeated a false angel, a Satanist, and a behemoth who thought it was fun to torment those who were not as physically gifted as he was.”

“Which brings me here. We are back to PWP. Where the Gold Rush tournament is inching closer and closer. And you would believe that I forgot about it? No, I didn’t. I have been studying. A student of the game never stops studying the game. The game changes and if you’re not with it, it will leave you behind.”

“Among the large list of possible competitors that I have to face…I have a challenge in the first round. Surprisingly, he was the first man that I ever studied when coming to America. His name is James Shark. He’s a five time world champion set on knocking people out. He’s a brutal striker with an enormous ego. He is one of the biggest stars in the wrestling world today. And he seems to disregard me. As he should.”

Peyton allowed a glimpse of disappointment to wash over his visage. With a chuckle, he forced the gleeful one to return. He took a picture of James Shark, analysing it for a moment; he pointed to it and smiled.

“I knew all too well that Duncan would put me up against this man. Call me a psychic or something,” Peyton joked, before putting the photo down. “Anyways, I cannot say that James does not have the possibility of knocking me out, but I will surely make it hard for him. Hit me down, James, and I will only come back stronger. You’re going to have to beat me until I am unable to walk, because my brain has been pounded to nothing! I will not be handled so easily! To prove myself, I must face my biggest challenge yet. I will not make the same mistakes I made against Josh Anderson. I have researched your matches, I have studied your mind. You have kinks in your armour, as do I. This makes this match all the more interesting. Don’t call me an underdog, but that is what I am. But to put it in terms that a man like yourself would understand…”

Peyton coughed roughly.

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his mind can’t notice and what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. James thinks he will, but I know he won't.”

“You have beaten before, James. It is not impossible. If something is possible, then I can do it. I won’t tell you that you will need luck, but you can say that I am the luckiest man in the world. I can only say that I am excited, no, I am ecstatic to get this opportunity to face you and those hands that some many men fear.”

Peyton took out another picture. It was that of Flex Johnson.

“Congratulations, Mr Johnson. I find it valiant that you would still compete, despite your partner bringing a little warrior into this world.”“But formalities can wait. You, sir, have been quite the little rascal. Every time I see Angelica Layne and Josh Anderson engaging in their trivial mockeries of random wrestlers…you pop in every once and a while and make fun with them. You’re like the kid who only jumps into things when all their buddies are around. And I believe that you’re better than that. I can say that your wrestling is a bit of an inspiration to me. Your kicks are lethal.”

“This is aside the point, though. You and I are away from each other in this tourney. And in order to get to you, I got to get past…a Shark, someone who loves sex and sand, a hypocrite with a catchy theme song, a guy who shares the name of the main villain in ‘Heroes’, a striker covered with tattoos and piercings, a reject Sister Act character, a guy who likes to yell and break the law, a boy (yes, a boy) that is desperate for attention, an Amazon of a woman, an overly expressive tomboy with feminine charm, someone’s sidekick, and finally…the rocker, the shocker, the showstopper…wait, that is the wrong order. I have a mountain of possibilities before I could possibly end up facing you. I just hope and pray that I can get this opportunity to face you and show you that the villainous way isn’t the right way. You seem better than Anderson’s lackey—best friend…sorry.”

“So, please, beat up the…wait, I got a list for this…guy who is named after an alright football team!”

“I must win this championship, Mr Johnson. And it would be an honour to face you for it.”